The ‘Great Singers Live’ series from BR Klassik
with individual releases for Mirella Freni, Herman Prey, Elisabeth
Grümmer, Nicolai Ghiaurov, Lucia Popp and Margaret Price has
been nothing short of remarkable.

To commemorate the 200th anniversary of Richard Wagner’s birth
this new release in the ‘Great Singers Live’ series
brings together ten renowned Wagner voices in a twelve track collection
of famous Wagnerian arias. Taken from the archives of Bavarian Broadcasting
all these live recordings were made for radio broadcast, mainly at
the famous Munich ‘Sunday Concerts’ between in the years
1963 and 1971.

I can report that the sound quality of these live Wagner recordings
is consistent and to a high standard. In the accompanying booklet
there is a short pen-picture of each singer but no sung texts are
provided. Each conductor seems well prepared and the Munich Radio
Orchestra well rehearsed as the standard of performance of each song
is consistently high.

With each singer having something different to offer I enjoyed every
single track. The singers I am most familiar with are the German sopranos
Elisabeth Grümmer (1911-1986) and Anja Silja (b. 1940); Silja
was still performing opera earlier this year aged seventy-two. Controversially
in the 1960s I recall it was Silja that controversially replaced Grümmer
in the role of Eva in Die Meistersinger at Bayreuth.

Grümmer’s operatic début was in 1940 and she became
celebrated for her Wagner, Richard Strauss and Mozart, and sang several
roles at Bayreuth from 1957 to 1961. Recorded in 1964 with Elisabeth’s
prayer ‘Allmächt’ge Jungfrau, hör mein Flehen!’
from Tannhäuser she demonstrates her musicality especially
her innate feeling for the words. Her smooth and fluid voice has a
fresh and most attractive timbre and darkens perceptibly in the low
register. Her vibrato although noticeable never seems intrusive. At
the time of writing there is a newly released single disc of Elisabeth
Grümmer singing Mozart in the ‘Great Singers Live’
series on BR Klassik900308.

Renowned as a singing-actress, Berlin-born Silja was a mere fifteen
years of age when she made her operatic debutas Rosina in Il
Barbiere di Siviglia. Growing up with Wagner’s music she
sang most of Wagner’s soprano roles appearing at Bayreuth from
1960 to 1967. From 1966 she sings Senta’s ballade ‘Johohoe!
Traft ihr das Schiff im Meere an’ from Der fliegende
Holländer. She is in bright and radiant voice. I do however
find her high register a touch piercing and when under strain there
is a tendency for jerkiness in her line. Here Silja’s mid-range
evinces a smooth tone that noticeably darkens.

Norwegian soprano Ingrid Bjoner (1927-2006) whose career spanned from
1956 to 1990 was renowned for her Wagnerian and Strauss roles. She
sang with the Bavarian State Opera for twenty-eight years and at Bayreuth.
Recorded in 1963 as Elisabeth with her Hall aria ‘Dich, teure
Halle, grüß’ ich wieder’ from Tannhäuser
the resilient Bjoner moves sharply through her registeralthough
the high notes feel a touch shrill.

The various biographies of New York City born Arroyo cannot agree
whether her year of birth is 1936 or 1937. Although associated mainly
with Verdian roles she was a leading soprano for some years at the
New York Met where she sang Wagner whilst still a fledgling singer.
Here from 1969 Arroyo, displaying her rich and smooth timbre, is heard
in Elsa’s dream ‘Einsam in trüben Tagen hab ich
zu Gott gefleht’from Lohengrin.

Swedish soprano Catarina Ligendza (b. 1937) was steeped in Wagner
from a young age as both her parents had Wagner roles at Stockholm.
Ligendza sang at Bayreuth as a dramatic soprano from 1971 to 1977
returning in 1987 and being cast mainly in the roles of Brünnhilde
and Isolde. In this 1971 recording from Tristan und Isolde,
Ligendza sings Isolde’s famous Liebestod ‘Mild
und leise wie er lächelt’. I enjoyed the performance
and was immediately struck by her glorious top register and bright
milky tone. Her vibrato was noticeable but not intrusive, although,
her diction was a slight weakness.

The first male voice on the release is the German tenor Rudolf Schock
(1915-1986) who was noted for singing a wide range of repertoire.
As a young man he was in the chorus for Lohengrin at Bayreuth
and he was able return there as a soloist. Recorded in 1963 Schock
is heard here in the Grail narration ‘In fernem Land unnahbar
euren Schritten’ from Lohengrin. Bright, smooth and
sweet, I can certainly hear a heroic quality in Schock’s baritonal
voice.

Renowned for his excellent diction German bass Gottlob Frick (1906-1994)
was equally at home singing a range of repertoire from Wagner to Mozart
to operetta. In the 1940s he was engaged by the Dresden State Opera
for a number of years and later at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Berlin.
Frick sang at the Bayreuth, firstly as Veit Pogner returning a while
later as Hunding and Hagen. It is hard to fault his fine vocal condition
in 1965 in Daland’s aria ‘Mögst du, mein Kind,
den fremden Mann willkommen heißen’ from Der fliegende
Holländer. Although described by Furtwängler as the
“the blackest bass in Germany” the rich-voiced
and well focused Frick doesn’t sound especially dark here; actually
more Verdian than Wagnerian.

Theo Adam (b. 1926) the Dresden born bass-baritone was a distinguished
Wagnerian. Recorded in 1966, Adam sings both Wotan’s farewell
‘Leb wohl, du kühnes, herrliches Kind!’ and
the Feuerzauber ‘Loge, hör!’ from Die
Walküre. He has such a lusty, masculine voice with a smooth,
polished finish; very expressive too with excellent diction. With
these attributes it is no surprise that Adam first sang at the Bayreuth
in 1952 and returned for most years until 1980. These two Theo Adam
tracks are probably my favourites on the whole disc.

Munich-born bass Josef Greindl (1912-1993) is best known for his Wagnerian
roles. He made his opera debut in 1936 as Hunding and from 1943 sang
regularly at Bayreuth. Here from 1968 Greindl performs Hagen’s
watch ‘Hier sitz ich zur Wacht’ from Götterdämmerung.
It’s wonderful commanding and mature. Greindl is dark, gravelly
and full in tone, sounding highly dramatic.

German bass Franz Crass (1928-2012) sang at Bayreuth most seasons
from 1954 to 1972 and was known for his sensitive portrayals. Here
from 1970 Crass sings the Fliedermonolog ‘Was duftet
doch der Flieder’ and the Wahnmonolog ‘Wahn!
Wahn! Überall Wahn!’ from Die Meistersinger von
Nürnberg. This is commanding singing from Crass in the role
of Hans Sachs and displays his exceedingly rich and smooth voice with
its natural dark shading.

The BR Klassik ‘Great Singers Live’ series continues
to plunder successfully the back catalogue of Bavarian Radio. This
latest release offers some stunning singing and remains one of the
most enthralling discs I have heard for some time.